The annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event drew a large crowd to downtown Hollister on Saturday, April 22, as the men's march against violence also featured women in a sign of solidarity. High-heeled shoes were provided to every male registrant, though many brought their own.

Proceeds from the event benefit Emmaus House, a Hollister-based domestic violence shelter for women and children, and Community Solutions, a nonprofit human services agency serving Santa Clara and San Benito counties.

The San Benito County Board of Supervisors declared April 22 as Walk a Mile in Her Shoes Day in the county.

According to the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes website: There is an old saying: "You can't really understand another person's experience until you've walked a mile in their shoes." Walk a Mile in Her Shoes® asks men to literally walk one mile in women's high-heeled shoes. It's not easy walking in these shoes, but it's fun and it gets the community to talk about something that's really difficult to talk about: gender relations and men's sexualized violence against women.

BenitoLink photographer Lisa Robinson-Ward attended the event and shares her photos here.